Inside the Mecca: The New Look Knicks Have Promise and Talent, But Also Inconsistency to Start Season
Column - November 18, 2021
After his squad ceased their “struggle bus” losing streak–as the great Knicks voice Mike Breen put it–at home by playing gritty defense, limiting the visiting Indiana Pacers to ten points down the stretch in a 92-84 victory at the Garden Monday night, Knicks forward Julius Randle marveled at the team’s come from behind performance.
“10 points in the 4th, that’s impressive,” he said. “That’s Knicks basketball and that’s who we are.”
Certainly, Monday’s game carried hues of the old school, defensive-heavy style of basketball displayed by the Knicks-Pacers in their battles of the 1980’s and 90’s. Neither team finished above 45% shooting from the field, and the Pacers were held to just two baskets in the fourth quarter after leading the Knicks for about three and a half quarters. Both sides also combined to start 1-21 shooting from the arc and 11 blocks on the defensive glass.
Eventually, defense led to critical offense with the Knicks outscoring the Pacers 13-4 in the final minutes to earn their eighth win of the season.
However, the performance Randle lauded hasn’t been totally characteristic of the Knicks’ 2021 season through the first fourteen games.
The first edition of my new weekly Knicks column for Talking Points Sports: Inside the Mecca. Year 2 of the Thibodeau experiment, and the new look Knicks looked like they were taking off from where they left off last season, starting the season atop the East in three-point shooting, bench play, and with a 5-1 record. Since then, the Knicks have gone 5-8 and their issues with consistency and maximum effort have been revealed. I dissect the two sides of the Knicks we’ve seen this year, why it’s happening, and what needs to be done to right the course again.